Paving machines are used to apply, spread, and compact a mat of paving material over a paving surface. A paving machine generally includes a tractor and a screed assembly. The tractor has a hopper for receiving asphalt material from a truck and a conveyor system for transferring the asphalt rearwardly from the hopper for discharge onto the paving surface. The paving machine includes augers to spread the asphalt across the paving surface in front of the screed assembly. The screed assembly smoothens and compacts the asphalt material on the paving surface. The operators or other personnel requires to keep a track of the amount of material received by the paving machine or discharged from the paving machine over a time period in order to determine a productivity of the paving machine.
Currently, the operators rely on manual weight tickets to keep track of the material tonnage processed by the paving machine. However, such a method may not be as efficient and easy to implement to determine if a correct amount of material is being supplied to the paving machine, based on the required application. Additionally, a density of the paving material may change based on a temperature and other factors and thus, calculation of the weight using predefined density values may also not be accurate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,782 is related to a finishing machine for the laying of the asphalt surface. The machine has a conveyer, and a hopper for the storage and the distribution of material. The conveyer, that moves material from the hopper to the auger, has a couple of chains connected with one another by transversal splines that are suitable for the transport of the material. The material crawls on a plurality of fixed plates secured to the frame of the machine, and the chains run on the plates. The last plate, which supports the passing material, is floating in comparison with the fixed plate which precedes it. The last plate is on a weighing device, and the device is connected with a control power unit. The control power unit detects a signal relevant to the reading of the weight of the material. The signals are detected at time intervals, depending on the angular speed of the hopper, and allows weighing to take place after all the weighed material has been unloaded from the weighing plate.